Boating in your backyard…literally

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Amongst the laments I hear from yachting clients, one is more frequent than others, namely that  some people simply don’t have enough time to enjoy boating the way that they would like to. They work all week and on the weekend would love to go boating but are faced with a list of house and garden chores that cannot be neglected, lest they bear the wrath of the one who wrote the list. Once the work around home is done, they are either out of time or too exhausted to drive out to their marina.  By the time they travel to their marina, pack and ready the boat the day is half over. At the end of the trip they still have to unload the boat, travel back and then unload the car; so much for a relaxing weekend! In cases like this it seems the dream of owning a boat is more bother than it’s worth, or is it. Owning a boat can be one of the most rewarding uses of recreation time you have ever experienced, so before you write off the possibility due to lack of time, apply a little critical thinking to assess the obstacles being faced. I’ve always believed that a problem well-defined is half solved and in the common situation described above, the problem is not the boat. The problem can actually be broken down into several smaller issues each of which is solvable:

1. Problem One: Owning a house with a yard means you will inevitably spend part of your weekend tending to the maintenance issues that are part and parcel of home ownership;
2. Problem Two: Locating your boat at a marina away from your home means you will be faced with a drive every time you want to visit your boat; that commute creates a psychological and temporal obstacle;
3. Problem Three: Packing and unpacking your boat each week makes for a lot of redundancy.

The combined problems of too much home maintenance, too much distance to travel to the marina and too much packing and unpacking can be solved with a bit of strategic planning. One of my clients came up with a brilliant strategy to overcome these hurdles; he put his boat in his backyard so that it is there whenever he wants it. For clarity his boat is a 42′ Grand Banks and his backyard is the marina at 1000 Beach Ave in Vancouver. No lawn to mow, to traffic to fight, no need to unpack the boat in this very secure marina. Just 365 days of access to boating with the trip starting the minute he walks out his back door. In addition to solving the problems that otherwise might have prevented him from enjoying his boat, he chose a location that allowed him to tap into some of Vancouver’s premium lifestyle features. Want to jog the seawall? No problem lace up the sneakers and you are steps away from the starting line. Want cook a fine gourmet meal with culinary treats from Granville Island? Pick up your groceries by hopping the Aquabus which docks about ½ a block away. Want to view the fireworks in comfort? Look out the window for one of the best views in the city. Taking in a play in the theatre district? Walk a few blocks and you’re there. Access to transit, restaurants and every conceivable amenity are within walking distance. Less travel, less hassle means more boating, more relaxing.

His apartment faces False Creek and English Bay; allowing him to keep a close eye on his 42′ Grand Banks moored in his back yard marina. In reflecting on some of the additional perks associated with keeping his boat in his backyard marina my client added “The boat has always been an extension of my home. This  utilization makes the apartment seem a lot more sizeable as there is always the  option to have a change of venue when  friends or relatives come over  for dinner or even just for a drink. Everyone always loves to go down to the  boat even if we have no intention of leaving the dock. It is unique because you  get to be a liveaboard without actually living aboard if you know what  mean. I have spent literally thousands of hours on the boat barbecuing and  generally entertaining…right at the  home dock.” In considering the amount of additional time he got to spend on his boat because it was just outside his back door he said,  ”These were hours of boat usage that I likely would not have  spent had the boat not been right there. When such an evening came to an end all  I had to do was lock the boat and take a few steps back to the apartment  for some sleep and return the next morning to clean up the mess. This  is an aspect of the life style that few can imagine until they actually get into  it. But it is one of the best things about the set up. It just totally enhances  the whole downtown living experience by making you feel you are on an estate as  opposed to just another apartment. It is a life that is difficult to give  up.”

His meticulous attention to detail is probably part of his nature, and perhaps reinforced by his professional training, but then again anyone living in such a surrounding is likely to take just a bit of extra pride in this type of home; it seems to be an extension of the seashore and being that close to mother nature one just naturally tends to keep and appreciate things with a little more care and attention than one does amid suburban sprawl. The view compels one to appreciate natural beauty and the salt sea air wafting through the window  brings with it the inclination to be grateful for the treasures this city by the sea has within it. His unit has all of the creature comforts one would expect in a Yaletown apartment and has been well-appointed by a professional designer. Coming home to a place like this, with his boat a few feet away, is strategic planning at its best.  Having lived here and enjoyed the convenience, beauty and luxurious surroundings of this home for 25 years, he is now moving on to a new phase in life which includes a move away from the city. This apartment, which is perfect for the boater who needs more time to get out on the water, is finally available.  If you act in time to take advantage of another serendipitously timed opportunity, you could also secure access to a slip at 1000 Beach; there is currently one place available. This marina is well maintained with cement docks, easy access to False Creek, and the starting point to any other destination on the Pacific Coast;  this marina has what must be the best security system of any marina going…many of the boat owners live in the surrounding apartments and all of them form the best neighbourhood watch team you could imagine. 1000 Beach is one of the nicest backyards going, and no lawn maintenance; sure there are some weeds, but they’re seaweeds after all and they get washed away with the outgoing tide so no need for backbreaking work.    For details on the slip or apartment feel free to drop me an e-mail and I can introduce you to the listing agents or check out the listing on-line.

The next time you and your spouse are about to have the argument that goes “I’d love to do more boating Honey but we don’t have the time to travel to our marina, pack the boat and unpack with all of the home and yard maintenance.” Let her know you solved the problem by putting an offer in on this place. Unless of course you actually would rather spend your weekends with an endless “honey-do” list instead of boating in your backyard.

Readers are always interested to know innovative ways that boaters have learned to maximize their time on the water. If you’ve come up with a solution to a problem  which allowed you to enjoy more boating in Vancouver, drop me a note and I’d be happy to share your idea with other boaters so that  they too can maximize their enjoyment of the boating lifestyle.